


My Baby Must Be A Magician

by robin_writes



Series: Criminal Minds ficlets based on songs [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, First Meeting, Fluff, Magic, Magician!Spencer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 18:38:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14267157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robin_writes/pseuds/robin_writes
Summary: You love magic and magic shows, so when you visit The Lounge, an entertainment bar, and you are invited up on stage you can't help but be amazed by it all.





	My Baby Must Be A Magician

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the song 'My Baby Must Be A Magician' by The Marvelettes

You felt bad for repeatedly turning down your friends when they asked you out for drinks. But you would come to feel glad of your guilt. 

You felt so guilty one weekend that you decided to bite the bullet and go out. You texted Leah, your best friend, that you’d be ready if she would pick you up. You felt like getting so drunk you couldn’t see straight in the morning. Leah picked you up at seven thirty and drove you to The Lounge. It was an entertainment bar where they’d have regular bands coming in or stand up acts. But tonight was magic night which was the main reason you’d dragged yourself away from watching Hannibal. You loved magic especially the tricks you had no way of explaining. It made you feel like there are mysteries in this universe science can’t yet explain.

You walked into The Lounge, gliding over to the bar. Smiling at the bartender, you ordered a cocktail. One of those ones with chunks of pineapple on the rim and a little blue umbrella hanging off the edge. When you tasted it, it reminded you of a girl’s holiday you took in college; way too much alcohol, a fruity after-taste, and a sexual encounter with a stranger. You smirked at the memory and then settled into a softly padded couch along the side wall, leaning your body towards the stage. 

Leah started talking to you about work. You work together in publishing. You’re a fiction editor, reading novels and trying to make them more appealing, while Leah is a creative director, she makes most of the decisions. To be honest, you aren’t really sure what she does, other than the fact that her word goes.

It didn’t take long for you to get a buzz, letting that nice warm feeling envelope your body. The amateur magicians started soon after. The lights dimmed and three spotlights facing the stage flicked on, one at a time. A man in his twenties came out on stage, the three spotlights converging to light him up. “I don’t want to talk for too long so I’m just gonna introduce the first act and tell you to have a good time. Please welcome Helena.” The man left to be replaced by a red-headed woman in a sparkling red dress. As the spotlights focused on her, she glittered, adding to her allure. 

She started off by bantering with the crowd, and then inviting someone to join her to be her assistant. Helena chose a man sitting at one of the tables at the front. She hypnotised him and used him throughout her performance, doing various things like making him disappear and cutting him in half. She didn’t seem to have a cohesive act but the tricks were good nonetheless. 

After a few more cocktails and a few more acts, you started to yawn. You were about to tell Leah you were gonna get a cab, but the final act was introduced. You decided to sit down and shut up, ordering a glass of water. A large, metal safe was wheeled onto the stage and the host stepped out. “I hope you’re having a great time so far, but we’ve only got one more act left. Please welcome to the stage, escapologist, Dr Reid.”  
“Oooh, look at that Leah. He’s a doctor. Just your type.” You joked. Dr Reid, when he came out, was exactly the opposite of what you were expecting. He was tall and lanky but you were expecting a built guy of average height. Dr Reid appeared to be confident, but you knew deep down that he wasn’t usually as confident because you were the same. But he was confident here because he was in his element and it was a beautiful thing to watch. 

Dr Reid was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, black trousers and a purple vest. His hair was slightly too long, and his trousers slightly too short revealing mismatched socks. You smiled. He started by appearing a deck of cards from nowhere. “This is a complete and unaltered deck of cards.” He showed them off and then began to shuffle them. “Hello sir.” He addressed a man sitting in the middle of the audience. “Would you please count these cards to make sure I’m not lying?”  
“Sure.” The man stood and took the cards from Dr Reid, counting them loudly enough for people to hear. There were fifty-two cards, and Dr Reid took them back.  
“Thank you.” He said and returned to the stage. “What I do is a mixture of escapology and mentalism. Tonight I am going to perform a new act I’ve been working on for a while, but I’m gonna need an assistant. Does anyone want to volunteer or am I going to have to stuff someone in this safe?” He laughed softly. A few hands went up and Leah pushed your hand up.   
“Leah, what are you doing?” You whispered.  
“Trust me.” She said quietly and then said louder. “Hey doctor, my friend really likes magic!”  
“Oh yeah, you want to be my assistant for the night?” Dr Reid addressed you. You nodded. “Come on up.” You stood and took Dr Reid’s proffered hand, guiding you up to the stage. “What’s your name?”  
“(Y/N)” You told him.  
“Okay (Y/N), I’m going to lock you in that safe and get your friend to set the code. I’ll use my mentalist abilities to get the code and unlock the safe before you suffocate. Are you okay with that?” He asked you. You suddenly got nervous, but weirdly you felt safe.  
“Yes.”   
“Great.” Dr Reid set the cards on top of the safe and then opened it. You stepped out of your heels and crouched down, crawling into the safe. The walls were thick and it was cramped, but you fit. “You should have eighteen minutes and forty seconds of air once your friend shuts the safe. Leah would you please come up to the stage.” Both you and Leah gasped.  
“How did you know her name?” You asked him.  
“Relax, it wasn’t my abilities. I heard you two talking earlier.”  
“Oh.” Of course he did. Mentalism isn’t the same as being psychic. Leah stood up and moved next to the doctor.  
“Leah, I want you to think of a six-digit number, shut the safe door, type the number in and then press the red button. This will set the code to your chosen numbers.”  
“Okay.” Leah crouched in front of the safe and she shut it, smiling at you even though she looked incredibly nervous. It clanged loudly. You guessed Dr Reid turned around, but you couldn’t see anything. There was a small speaker by your ear and it was connected to the stage somehow. You could hear everything that was going on even though the safe walls were too thick. You heard seven beeps and then Dr Reid started to talk.  
“Great.” He turned around. “A six-digit code is indicative of an important date. I’m going to be asking questions, don’t answer them. Don’t say anything at all.” At this point you guessed he was studying Leah’s face, that’s how mentalists get answers; they say something and watch reactions. “A birthday… No. An anniversary… Yes. Was it when you first met (Y/N)? It was. Were you childhood friends? No. Did you meet in college? Yes. So it would’ve been four… five… six.. Six years ago. September… October. October six years ago. First… second… third… forth… fifth… sixth… seventh… eighth. Eighth of October two thousand twelve. The code is 10-08-12.” There were seven beeps and then the door swung open. Dr Reid was on the other side, he smiled at you and then gave you his hand to help you out of the safe. The audience was clapping, and Leah looked stunned.   
“How… how did you do that?” Leah breathed.  
“A magician never tells. But we’re not done.” Dr Reid turned to the audience. “Leah you can take a seat, (Y/N) would you do one more thing for me?”  
“Sure.” You nodded. He passed you the cards from the top of the safe.  
“Count these?”  
“One. Two. Three.” You started to count. “Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty. That’s it. There are two cards missing.”  
“Your bartender tonight is Mark. Mark would you grab a full bottle of Captain Morgan spiced rum and bring it to the stage.” The bartender came to the stage. “(Y/N) I think you’ll find the Queen of Hearts card resting over your heart.” Your face flushed when you realised the implication. You slipped your hand down your bra and fished out a Queen of Hearts card.   
“Oh my God! That’s amazing.”  
“And the King of Spades, you’ll find if you open the rum Mark.” The bartender opened the bottle, breaking the seal and pulled out a card in a thin plastic bag. The audience applauded loudly. “Thank you. I’ve been Dr Reid, and you’ve been great. Have a good night.” He disappeared behind the stage, leaving your jaw on the floor. You came to the conclusion that you had to know that man. 

Quietly slipping behind the curtain, you made your way to the small backstage area. Dr Reid looked like he was about to leave. “Hi.” You said.  
“Hello.” He smiled at you.  
“Can I buy you a drink? Just to thank you for not letting me suffocate.”  
“Sure. I don’t actually drink, but a soda would be great.”  
“Of course.” He followed you back into the bar where you ordered two cokes. “You’re incredibly talented.”  
“Thank you. Although I’ve practiced the act thirty nine times, I’ve never performed it in front of anybody. It was a little nerve wracking but there was a safety plan.”  
“Oh yeah? What was it?” You asked, increasingly curious of how the trick could’ve ended.  
“There are air holes in the back of the safe and a reset code for emergencies.”  
“Well, as much as I trust you, I feel a lot better knowing there was no chance of me dying.” You said.  
“You trust me?” He asked quietly.  
“You look trustworthy, and you’re a doctor.” You said honestly.   
“I’m not a doctor in the way you think. I actually work with the FBI as a profiler.”  
“How does that make you a doctor?”  
“I have three PhDs in mathematics, chemistry and engineering, and BAS in psychology and sociology.”  
“Wow. Impressive.”  
“What do you do?” He asked.  
“I work at a local publishing house as a fiction editor. I love books; how they transport you to other places and how each author has a different style of carving out an entire world.”  
“You seem incredibly passionate, it’s actually quite refreshing to find someone who views books in the same way as me.”   
“Do you have a first name, Dr Reid?” You asked in your horrible attempt at flirting.  
“Spencer.”  
“Well, Spencer, I would love to show you my book collection sometime. I converted the spare room in my apartment into a library because I get a lot of books as gifts.”  
“I would like that too. But we should probably do it when you’re sober.”  
“You’re right. I should go.”  
“Can I guess your phone number?” Spencer asked, smiling shyly.  
“Why guess when I can just give it to you?” You said.  
“Make me work for it.” His words sent a shiver down your spine.  
“And you can just guess it?”  
“Yep.”  
“Okay doctor, give it a whirl.”  
“Don’t say anything.” He said and you zipped your lips. “Zero… One… Two… Three… Four. First number is four. Zero… One… Two… Three. Second is three. Zero… One… Two… Three… Four. Another four. Zero… One. It’s one. Zero… One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven. Next number is seven. Zero… One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven. Seven again. Zero. And zero.”  
“Wow. I’m extremely impressed. You definitely worked for it. Walk me to a cab?” You asked.  
“Of course.” He smiled widely at you. It was like he never thought you’d be interested in his magic. But you were here, weren’t you? You both walked up to the street and Spencer hailed you a cab. It only took a minute, but a cab pulled up and you stepped into the back. “Have a good night, (Y/N).”  
“Goodnight.” You said.


End file.
